Sighs
by BBHGAL05
Summary: A legion of superheroes story based on the animation right after season 2. Why does brainiac 5 dislike Superman X? Why does Kel come back to the legion despite knowing this? Mostly bromance between the two. Damn I'm bad at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**Damn I'm bad at Intros. This is my first fanfic. At all. Ever. So pretty please with a cherry on top be nice ^.^**

**If I owned the legion of superheroes there would be way more than two seasons and Lyle (aka invisible kid) would be science buddies with brainy. As I do not own LoSH that hasn't happened -.- *crys inside***

**I don't own any of the characters or settings and everything in here is fiction with inspiration from the animation. Thanks for reading and Enjoy!**

"I find your chin off-putting!" Brainiac 5 had never been a good liar. Omitting the truth was much simpler done and did not require the same level of creative subterfuge. He had the twelfth level intellect but had (mistakenly) assumed that the matter of lying should be no chore for him. Unfortunately, his factual mind had not processed lying as well as expected. Making a metal note of this, he turned to his enquirer

"You… what?" Superman X stared back at him with an expression that crossed dumb, amused and angry all at once. That was… anticlimactic. "I can't really change… my chin… It's kind of an installation, kid. What's your _real_ problem with me?" It came out more of an accusation than perhaps he'd intended. Things had gotten so awkward around this kid lately that it just had to be dealt with.

Brainy looked away for a moment. "It doesn't concern you."

"Obviously it does." Kel countered.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

A sigh escaped the genius. "Why did you come back? Imperiex is gone and the legion is responsible for trouble in the 31st century." Kel's face showed a hint of sadness, though it was gone almost before it had appeared. It was replaced by a smirk.

"I believe we made my recruitment official before I left." He waved the ring in Brainy's face. "I am the legion." Another sigh and the Brainiac swivelled back to his chair back to computo. "They say a little piece of happiness leaves you each time you sigh. I don't think you can afford to lose much more."

"You are not the only legionnaire. We have all we need and if we need support, we'll just hold another audition."

"What is that audition? A rap battle? Some kind of fancy pants dance class? What exactly is your problem? Is it because I look like _him_." That earned him a flinch from the android, and for a long while neither of them said anything.

"For your information the auditions are-"

"We both know that was not the important part of what I just said."

"The auditions are held-"

"Getting back to the main topic of today's conversation, your problem with me would be _that_?"

Without replying, Brainy got up and gathered his reports in order. Walking faster than usual, he left the control room.

"Just great…" Kel sighed.

**Kinda short I know but I'm still warming up my writing muscles. So shoot me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**WOOP WOOP! Second chapter! I was wondering if anyone wanted to help Beta read my stories at all? Only at the moment it's little old lonely me and my spell checker. I do not own LoSH. Enjoy!**

Kel kicked at a floating can. Space had always been his getaway. Even when Imperiex's forces swarmed the skies, there was always a place for him. It went on forever so how could there not be? It was lonely but the silence hummed as though it was alive. Kel found it somewhat comforting.

There were always new places and things. Space stood still but debris, asteroids and other junk came and went as it pleased. He'd always seen a timeless world where, for a moment, anything was possible. Nothing in space was bound to anyone, nor had anyone hurt them.

He flinched remembering the way the Brainiac had just ignored him. So what if he was different than the first superman? Was that a reason to go completely blank on him? Surely if Superman and Brainiac 5 had been buddies that meant he wouldn't want anyone else copying his friend exactly?

The fact still remained that Superman had been a legend for centuries, an icon and an idol. Superman X wasn't anything to anybody. He'd failed to kill Imperiex and he'd failed his people. How could he be accepted into the legion effortlessly after that? When even his own people didn't want him back?

**FLASHBACK ALERT**

**Kel El's POV**

I was happy. I admit that. We defeated Imperiex and now things were going to go back to the way they were. My people could be safe and happy in a peaceful 41st century. I even joined the legion. I hadn't thought I would but it was a day to celebrate. K3NT would be waiting for me back home. They'd called me their son. I was just a little …touched. That is, after I'd finished worrying about my time collapsing.

I guess the glory days come for everyone. Including me.

I stepped through the portal and into my own timeline.

Everything was so …busy. I didn't know this world had as many people as were helping with the rebuild. Ships carrying building materials and large bins of food had been carted in. Around me the town was re-emerging. It was new and felt like a breath of fresh air.

A small figure bumped into my legs.

Don't be mean. These are your people. Be nice. Even to children. Wait. Especially to children. That's what I meant.

I turned around slowly and bent down toward the child, my hand outstretched.

"Hello." It was said as softly as I could manage. The boy burst into floods of tears and ran into his mother's arms.

"Shhh don't worry K3NT will sort that." The mother said as she lifted the boy. "K3NT is helping everyone with the new city."

My first go at nice-hood had not gone quite the way I wanted it to. There was still tomorrow to try approaching the people. I just had to learn some patience, as Brainiac 5 always reminded me. I chuckled at the memories. I always felt closest to people I'd fought with. After all, you don't know a person until you've seen their ugly angry side right? In a way, I felt closest to him than any of the others at the legion headquarters. They were all so platonic in the way they were good and friendly to me that I couldn't help but wonder if I was just another passer-by they were being good to.

Of course there had been superman. Though we were alike in many ways already, I had no desire to see or hear from him. There was a part of me that wouldn't risk any more of him being rubbed off onto me. I was my own person wasn't I? If I developed the same habits as him I'd be too similar and, though I admired him a bit, I wasn't going to risk being dragged under his shadow any more than I had already.

It really made my gears grind thinking about the look on Brainiac 5's face when I wasn't his hero. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. Time to celebrate my return.

I headed towards the last place I had seen my creator- …parents.

"Hey K3NT." I said as nonchalantly as possible. I wanted to surprise them. I wanted them to rush over to me and celebrate with me. I'd finally found them, after trying to get the people to talk to me for the past 3 days.

"There you are, Superman X. We have been waiting for you." said the woman in the glass. They swirled together for a moment before the man spoke. "Yes, we have. We have been updated on all that occurred in the 31st Century." The woman swirled into focus once more. "It would seem you failed your task and our reports from the town are not good either."

"Wait, what are you saying? Imperiex is dead." I spoke too quickly and my voice tripped.

"You have harassed the people, for three days no less, on our whereabouts. They have told us the trouble you caused."

"I didn't cause trouble. I just asked." My voice got hoarse. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been tipped over me.

"We have no further use for you. The people would see you destroyed and so would we."

"You called me son…"My voice came out loud, but in my head I was so quiet.

"We had assumed, as a son, you would not disappoint us. However, family ties must be cut should a son disgrace his parents."

Behind me, I opened a portal with the remote device they had given me so long ago.

"Superman X, stay here. We must serve the peoples wishes for this planet."

"They are not my people. You are not my people."

I fell backwards through the portal and into the deep space of the 31st century. I didn't know it back then but, as I flew through space I realized what I was looking for – the legion of superheroes.

**FLASHBACK END**

As Kel floated through debris he stumbled upon an old chair. It was made of wood of all things and was much more worse for wear than most of the junk that side of the atmosphere. It couldn't have rotted out there but it had certainly tried.

He traced the design on the back with his fingertips. There were little indents where the lines snaked across in an ivy pattern. He found it nostalgic though he couldn't have seen it before. He felt a pang of guilt for keeping his problems a secret from the legion. They would understand about K3NT.

Saturn girl would help especially since her gift made her sensitive to other's thoughts and feelings. In a way though, Kel found her invasive and hard to escape from. She was kind and gentle, sure, but knowing that at any moment, she could know what he was thinking, made him want to push her just a little bit further away. He was still thankful for her promise never to use it on him but pushing her away seemed like an appropriate additional measure.

That in mind, he knew her intuition had detected he wasn't himself lately. She threw him concerned looks sometimes when he spaced out.

Still tracing the outlines of the chair's etched patterns he wondered what to do with it. It wasn't like he could leave it floating. What if an asteroid or something else hit it? Why should he care? Kel had never been a hoarder but he pictured his empty room at the legion headquarters. Could he keep it?

He shook his head and sighed. Redecoration was certainly in order if he was going to be staying here for a while. His other problem ghosted across his mind. It probably wouldn't be a while.

Sighing again, he traveled at a slower speed getting back to the ship, his mind on the welfare of the chair being dragged along behind him.

**Read and review! Pretty please with a cherry on top!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Doing a happy dance because I got reviews from the wonderful ****_Catcrazy987 and loveantauri_**** ^.^ Yay! And thanks to anyone else who's been reading! I don't know who you are *crys***

**We return to you with news of a certain Brainiac 5 on an seemingly impossible project *laughs evilly* I can't wait to write the next chapter.**

Brainiac 5 turned away from the… object… he had been soldering. 21st century methods were so time-consuming but he'd wanted an exact replica of some of the objects in Superman's time, just in case he ever came back. Computo blinked a light over the modified 'S' symbol that was Kel El.

Not that it was any of Brainy's business, but for a moment he'd really like to have known where Kel El had been for the past few hours. He chalked it up to a scientist's sense of curiosity and turned back to the not-so-accurate... thingy.

A hand rested on his shoulder.

Lyle grinned down at him in that cheeky, overly-perky way. "Food's ready B5. You coming up today?"

"No. I need to fix this first. I'm looking to improve it from the original but I can't seem to get it even to the originals standard in the first place." He pushed his goggles back on his head and wiped his face with a gloved palm, turning to his fellow scientist.

"Can you show me the original?" Lyle questioned.

He turned to computo and brought the image up on the largest of the three monitors in his lab.

Lyle burst out laughing behind him.

Turning, Brainy wondered what was wrong with the image. It had seemed the most interesting of the things that came up when he'd scoured the databases.

Wiping tears from his eyes Lyle turned to the genius. "I don't know much about history but to me that looks like," He broke out into another fit of laughter. "Oh, this is too good! That must be," Shaking from head to toe, Lyle's eyes prickled with fresh tears.

"Why? What's-"Brainy was interrupted again, Lyle having physically choked and was now half cough laughing."

"Ah, you don't know what it is?" He croaked, voice sore.

"I know it's a famous object from the 21st century," Brainy started. "But I have yet to discover its purpose. So far it seems to be a door-stop in the shape of a mutilated human."

"That's… actually quite close, in my opinion anyway." He chuckled to himself. "I suppose you've never been much of an artist."

"It's art?" Brainy looked horrified.

"Yes," A glint of amusement danced in Lyle's eyes. "In fact, it's even worse than art."

Brainy looked back in silence.

"Abstract art."

Brainy coughed indignantly before taking the creation in a gloved palm and throwing it into the incinerator at the far end of the room.

"Ah, the joys of working with you, Brains, are immeasurable." said Lyle sardonically.

Brainy sighed, placing his goggles down on the work bench beside him.

"I just spent three hours on that. Sprock you."

Lyle chuckled again. "I would have told you, it's just that you make everything look so useful. I guess this is why art never came naturally to you."

"Like it does to you?" Brainy scoffed doubtfully.

"Hey, at least I can identify it!" Lyle ducked as the gloves were thrown at him. "Seriously though, you look a little down. Anything I can do?"

"No more than you already have. I was just missing a friend." Brainy tried to sound casual but even he heard a little sadness clouded his voice.

"More superman stuff?"

"Yeah. What do you think of Kel El?" Curiosity flooded Brainy once more.

Lyle looked at him hard for a moment before replying. "They're similar, not the same. From the looks of it I'd say Superman X honestly wants to get along with you. He seems a bit arrogant in the way he goes about it but I don't think there's any ill-intention there. He's a diamond in the rough at the moment but I think he'll come through for you"

"I don't need him to come through for me. Clark is my friend. Kel El is not."

"Calm down, clever clogs. I'm your friend aren't I? From where I'm standing, it's not a case of choosing between them, but a case of choosing both of them for their differences." Reasoned Lyle thoughtfully.

"When did you become wise? That can't have happened in the time I've known you. And why do you keep calling me different things? I go by Brainy full time now." Brainy said, trying to shift the focus.

"I can't believe Brainy is the only one that stuck. I have so many better ones!" Protested Lyle.

"Like?"

Lyle spread his hands as if he were picturing something.

"The Brainster!"

**Lyle has got awesomeness! It's a little bit shorter than the last chapter but I hoped you liked this chapter! Read and Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay! Another review from silversamurai26 so thanks a bunches! *Throws all you lovely people messaging me about this candy***

Kel rubbed at the back of his neck exhaustedly and leaned back onto the doorframe.

"You sure didn't spare any time with that." Bouncing boy chortled behind him. "I suppose you don't have to with super speed."

He sighed. The room was a mess of space junk. Ancient space junk, but space junk none-the-less. The museum of space junk. His coffee table was a solar panel more advanced in years than he cared to think about. It's didn't help that he'd ripped it off wonky from the satellite.

"I think I'm a hoarder."

"No, no I don't think that's hoarding. It's more like being artfully messy." defended bouncing boy, whose room was inaccessible most of the time due to the crap piled up behind the door.

Kel grinned inwardly but didn't comment. "It's too much isn't it? I might take some of it back." While Kel had meant what he said, he probably wouldn't actually be able to take it back. He sighed. The signs were there alright. He was a hoarder.

All three of Triplicate girl barrelled into Bouncing boy before he could reply, pushing him ten feet past the door in the process.

Watching the three girls tackle Bouncing boy to the ground, Kel grinned. Payback for calling me messy, he thought mischievously. They'd thrown him quite a distance though. Those girls were not to be messed with.

Bouncing boy inflated and the triplets fell off and merged back into the one person.

"I've been looking all over for you. Where have you been?" She asked unreservedly.

He laughed good-naturedly. "Just checking out Kel's redecorating. You seen it?"

"No but it sounds nifty." She said, her gaze trailing to Kel down the corridor. "He looks untidy though. Is it enough to rival your own?"

Ouch, that was a bit unfair, thought Kel, picturing the other man's… pit. "Not quite!" replied bouncing boy.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad!" He tried.

"We'll see!" She walked back down to Kel. "Hi Kel!" She said happily, acting as though the previous conversation had not happened. When her eyes focused on the room behind him she separated into three.

"Oh"  
"My"  
"Thirds!"

"That is totally awesome!" They squealed in unison.

A little taken aback, Kel straightened. "Thanks?" They squealed again and the orange triplet darted round him into the room. The other two tried to drag bouncing boy off of the floor to come see it again.

"Wow, this is really cool. It's got fortress of solitude written all over it." The orange one giggled.

"There isn't much in the way of solitude here." Kel sighed.

**Sorry this is quite short. I wanted to get to Brainy and Kel's bit together quicker so I may have accidentally rushed it just a little. Still, I hope you liked it! Read and review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**It was very hard to understand Brainy's feelings as I don't even have a clue. I know more about Lyle for Christ sakes and I've only ever seen one fanfic picture of him msfucgercalumjdfnik**

What is happening down there? I thought, as I clutched my newest 21st century disaster. Computo was showing that in the last five minutes Kel El had left and returned to Legion HQ 12 times in rapid succession. What was he playing at? Was it some kind of bid for attention?

I sighed and turned my attention to the project before me. There was no way I could show this to Superman. He would probably force himself to accept it; that was one of the things that confused me the most about him. Even if the product of my efforts was dismal, he would lie through his teeth and accept the gift willingly. No matter how much the hero tried he was a very bad liar and, although I assume it was a noble attempt to spare my feelings, it had very much the opposite effect on me. I just ended up feeling all the worse for pushing it on him. At least Kel El was blunt.

I really was dying to know what was happening. Flying my chair over to computo I took a look at the video feed from the camera outside his room. I admitted to myself it wasn't very good of me but it was best for everyone if I found out sooner rather than later. The plans and strategies for dealing with problems were… If I'm already thinking of him as a problem, I reasoned, then all the more reason to check him out.

"Computo, show me Northern most corridor, Kel El's room."

"How many times do I need to tell you? It's rude to spy on your friends, Brainy."

"It isn't spying if I'm concerned about a threat," I rushed. "And Kel El is NOT my friend."

Computo's monitor flicked on to show a gathering of Bouncing boy, Triplicate girl(s) and now lightning lad communing in the corridor outside the aforementioned Legionnaire's room.

"See!" I gestured to the screen. "He's definitely doing something!"

"That's his business. Besides, if he was up to anything suspicious don't you trust the others to stop him?" Saturn girl asked.

"I just don't think they see him in the way I do."

"No they don't," She agreed. "They accept him as separate from Superman."

"Superman X is a CLONE. Of course they're alike. It just feels like Superman is being replaced by him. What if he never comes back? What would we do then?"

Her expression softened and she moved closer to me.

"The legion would continue as they did before him. Brainy, you have to understand there is a high possibility that… Superman he… It's just-"

"He may never return to this time." I finished. "I refuse to believe that. He wouldn't lie about being my friend."

"I'm not doubting your friendship, but the natural flow of events are-"

"Sprock that. He'll come back. You didn't believe me last time either." Saturn Girl stopped and looked at me hard. She turned swiftly on her heels and left me there, staring at a mirror of my best friend through a computer screen.

On the second monitor computo alerted me to a threat on Winath. Calling Cosmic Boy on his Legion belt buckle, I spoke to him.

"Cosmic Boy, this is Brainiac 5 reporting from Legion HQ. I've received a distress call from Winath. I'm forwarding the details on to you."

"I'm here, Brainy. The threat?"

"Scavengers."

**Aww Brainy you are too cute maybe I bully you too much. Sorry about not updating for a week! I was in Wales where they have zero internet whatsoever. BUT NOW I AM BACK WITH MORE CHAPTERS AND YAY! Also please welcome my Beta Shurely! I know her in real life and she has helped me create a beautiful villain for this fanfic. Stay tuned! Oh yeah, READ AND REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so at first this may sound a bit un-related but the oh so adorable Moel is important for later on! I don't think I do him justice from what Shurely and myself created him as but here goes!**

"Dorri is a planet that orbits the moon of Storfa which, in turn, orbits our sun Vol. This means Dorri should not be classified as a planet at all. To it's credit however it is roughly spherical and has a population of just under 10,000 people in total. This is because although it is dark for 6 earth months of the 18 month cycle, the soils are fertile enough to grow in all seasons, including the dark months. Dorri is a planet only because Dorri is a farm for other planets. I know all this crap because I live here." I looked to my childhood friend, Gwen expectantly.

"It's a touch… abrupt?" She said softly. "Remember the harvest festival is for families."

"I told them I refuse to play any part in their ritual crop worship! Why should I be doing this?"

At that Gwen looked a little guilty.

"Oh, I'm sorry Moel. I thought it would help you get into their good graces. That way you could go to Metropolis. I didn't realise you'd be this against it." I felt a pang of pain at her words.

I'd always dreamed of joining the science police in Metropolis, just as my parents had. Somehow my Aunt had pushed me unwillingly into agricultural school instead. After that I had tried every loop hole I could to get out of it. I had protested for days on end and no one had listened. Then I had an idea that would catch people's attention. I set a barn alight.

The fire had spread like nothing I'd ever seen and had nearly destroyed 7 people's fields before the Legion showed up. I was caught. Enough said. They'd turned me in and I'd been sentenced to live out the rest of my life on this miserable asteroid. Not a single ship would take me to Metropolis with the threat of the Legion over my head.

I sighed and pulled at my hair absentmindedly.

"I can't go to Metropolis while the legion is there, Gwen. They'd never let me. I'm a convicted arsonist and that's all they'd care to hear."

"But they may reconsider-"

"They can't Gwen. It's both the Legion and the Dorrians that are keeping me here."

"Moel! Where the hell are you Moel?" My aunt's loud voice screeched over at me.

I sighed again.

"That'll be fate beckoning me. I better not answer. This fate wants me to become a farmer." That made Gwen smile a bit.

"Go, you idiot, before you miss your crop worship!" I grimaced back at her.

"But I'd rather-"

"Go!" She said, still laughing lightly.

Ducking out of the door I made my way over to the nearby field where the festival was going to be held.

Two of the old farmers in the northern continent appeared behind me from around a corner.

"Moel? Can we speak to you for a second?" Mr Dayal asked.

I was immediately on guard. Mr Dayal had been the owner of the barn I'd torched seven years earlier and, although I was now approaching thirty, he still hadn't forgiven me for the livelihood he'd lost.

"What about?" I let my suspicion colour my tone.

"Just… festival stuff. That's all." I knew there wasn't anything wrong about his request but the pause had been too calculated. He was having fun with this.

"I'm sorry but I'm incredibly busy-"

The two men grabbed my upper arms roughly and dragged me, kicking and thrashing, back toward the nearby barns.

**Awww Moel I'm sorry I was mean to you but I'm equally mean to everyone in this fanfiction. If anyone's curious Moel's full name is Welsh for 'scabby/bare hill' which we thought would be perfect for an underappreciated farm boy.**

**ALSO READ AND REVIEW BECAUSE I AM SO ALONE *CRYS***


	7. Chapter 7

**Thankyou to CatCrazy987 for her support! Ooooh :3 This is one of the fighty scenes in the fanfic so I'm sorry if it's a bit slow (fighting is not my forte) NOTHING IS MY FORTE BECAUSE I AM SO LAZY. Continuing now, with the story:**

"Why are they here?" asked Kel, surveying the planet below them. "I thought Scavengers took weapons and technology, that sort of thing."

Cosmic boy moved to fly beside him. "The Winathonians have a unique understanding of electricity. They may be after parts of their generator. It's been a pretty frequent target over the years."

"We're approaching the generator," stated Brainiac 5.

"Thank God for that," said Lightning Lad as they flew over another ridge.

When they arrived the generator was ablaze along with most of the town below.

"No!" Lightning Lad shouted, pulling at his short copper hair in panic. He shot down to the town below without any further discussion.

"Lightning Lad!" Brainy called after him, only to be stopped by a hand from cosmic boy.

"It's falling on deaf ears, Brainy. Let him go. It is his planet after all."

"What if the situation worsens because of this?" Brainy interjected.

"Yeah, he's 'Lightning Lad' for a reason after all. With his powers, in this situation, there's nothing he can do," said Kel, curtly. Cosmic boy looked to the two of them and nodded in response.

"Kel, Brainy, you go find Lightning Lad, and everyone else, to the generator."

Without looking back to him, the two superheroes left to fly after the missing legionnaire. This was of course, easier said than done.

"Where the hell is he going?" Kel asked.

"If I know Lightning Lad he'll be going to his sister."

"He's got a sister?"

"He did have."

"Oh."

"Precisely." He said. "She died in the accident that gave himself and his brother their powers." Brainy explained solemnly, effectively ending their conversation.

As they flew the landscape below them became more and more barren and tall cliffs rose up in awkward piles of stone and dirt. In the gorge nothing grew anymore, save a few last straggly sprouts of wiry grass. There were herds of huge tusked lightning creatures moving through the rock piles.

Groups of scavengers were positioned with weapons at the entrance to the Korbal gorge and began to shoot at them upon approach. In his usual manor Kel sped off toward them and had them within inches of their lives in seconds. Brainy raised an eyebrow.

"Still not a team player I see?"

"Well I have to protect my newly organic team mate now don't I?" Kel stated, arrogant as ever.

"Wrong."

"What?"

Brainy turned his arm into his canon to illustrate. "Brainiac was deeply rooted into my technological components throughout my life so when I overcame him, the technology didn't just disappear. It receded. Many of these non-organic structures are essential for my survival." He let his arm revert to its almost-organic state and dropped it to his side. "We better keep moving."

"Wait, so you're no different than before except looks wise?" Kel asked.

"The positions of the items have changed subtly as well as my 'looks'." Brainy explained patiently.

"But why did you leave if you could control the robot part? Why did you come back?" He shifted slightly and looked away. It was nowhere near the reaction he'd had when asking about Superman but it said enough to tell Kel not to pursue his line of questioning. Flying forward suddenly, he craned his neck back to look at Brainy. "Coming?"

The Coluan seemed to visibly relax a little as he flew up to where Kel was now hovering impatiently and the two departed further north.

**OKAY I FINISHED THE CHAPTER NATURALLY AND I DIDN'T EVEN GET THE FIGHTY BIT IN. JGHDJLGkhokhksfgjdkjghdjghdfkghdfghdlfghodlghodlgj I suppose it is okay, I shall push it back a little bit. We have not yet got to a battle but WE WILL. Next chapter on Thursday/Friday…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all for reading this far, I hope you will continue to enjoy it!**

**Moel POV**

It was dark when I awoke.

"Moel? Moel? Are you there, Moel?" Gwen's voice reached me through the haze.

"Here…" My voice was scratchy and my heard throbbed with a dull ache. "Here!" I tried again, louder this time.

"Moel! Oh Moel…" Her shadow appeared at the top of the hole. "Just wait a second, Moel. I'll get some rope." I heard her remover the heavy lock of a nearby barn and rummage around for a while, before a rope was thrown down to me. "I've tied it to a tree so it should be okay to climb up on."

Fighting back nausea and the beating in my head, I grabbed for the rope in the dark and attempted to haul myself up. It was difficult. The rope was damp from the sides of the hole and slicked out of my hands. I slipped as I felt the wall of earth give way a little under my foot. With renewed effort I held firmly to the rope and pulled myself up to the surface.

I felt her hands flit around me, touching my dirty, clammy face and calling my name.

Illuminated in the bright moonlight, the hole I had crawled from swam into focus. It was the cesspit in Dayal's farm. Anger flared in me and I forced myself to stand.

"Get off me!" I shouted, slapping her hand away. She whimpered and a frightened expression crossed her features. I sighed heavily.

"Look Gwen, I didn't mean to… I'd never hurt you, alright?" She nodded shakily and I wasn't so sure she believed me.

Bending down slowly, she reached to the ground near my feet. It my anger I'd broken the clasp on the bracelet she'd been wearing. It was a plain silver chain with just one green bead hanging from it which I recognised as a gift from her elder brother on Storfa.

"Damn I'm sorry, Gwen," I said picking it up and pulling her to her feet.

From there we stumbled down to my aunt's old abandoned farmhouse and up to the bathrooms. The house was old and its owner was older. The ancient old crone was now going to live permanently in a care home on Storfa so I'd inherited her 'estate'. When Gwen had first come to study the soil composition during a study trip, she'd asked to stay with me here.

I clapped on the bathroom lights and the harsh white light was cast over both of us. We were equally pale from the lack of light during the months when the sun was covered. My short rusty brown hair was stuck up in big black knots and mud and shit made brown splotches on my face and dull blue farmers clothes. Turning on the tap I dipped my head under and watched the grey brown slodge run down into the sink. There were systems in place to prevent blockages but I knew I'd still have to clean it out later.

"Are you still staying for the Dark?" I asked Gwen, attempting nonchalance.

"Of course I'll stay. I still have things… to study," She finished lamely.

It was the same every time. When the dark months came, when Dorri was hidden by both Storfa and it's moon, most people migrated to Storfa to wait it out, returning to their farms only when the light came again. I couldn't leave. I waited each year inside my aunt's old farmhouse for 6 months while the 'planet' was ravaged by cold and darkness.

Gwen however had family on Storfa that treasured her, yet for all the time she'd been with me, she'd never left once during the Dark, using some non-specific excuse about studying.

I heard her laugh and look round.

"Sorry," she said. "I just thought that brown is really your colour!" She continued to laugh as I looked at her sceptically. "It actually really brings out your eyes."

Turning to the mirror again, my green eyes watched me from an identical dirty face. Of course I wasn't the only one looking like a hover-train wreck. Gwen's long blonde hair had gotten frizzier and deep bags had set into her round face. Callouses decorated her little hands from handling the rope.

"Come here, Gwen," I said, holding my arms out to her.

She stepped forward and hugged me, mindless of the crap I was covered in. Though she was two years my senior, Gwen was the younger sister I'd never had.

**I'm so sorry Moel but I'm planning bad bad things for you. However it is for the sake of the story so forgive me! I'm thinking of putting Moel's story in another fanfiction as well as slotting it in randomly with sighs. The two are related and important but Moel is too cute not to have a fanfiction of his own! Next chapter tomorrow (I've already started it :3)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, first off I want to apologize because I know that this story doesn't quite fit with the legion seasons so yes, Ayla is still 'dead' here. I'm sorry :'( Secondly I'm sorry for taking so long to post another chapter and I thank everyone who sent me 'are you dead?' messages. They really helped me get back into gear with this story .**

"You're acting rather… civil," said Kel, as he threw one of the scavengers surrounding them into a group of its colleague.

Brainy fired his canon and took out another group to their right.

"I'm fighting. It's hardly civil." He said, extending his arms so the black lines showed and hitting back a few more.

"Well you haven't yelled at me and meant it today." Kel froze two more of the scavengers.

"I'm fighting. I have no time to enlighten you with your many flaws. I do not yell."

Behind him, a scavenger tank exploded when Kel set his heat vision on it.

"There, that's the last of them. Let's move. We still need to find lightning lad in all this."

"You are still bossy, I see."

"Yes."

"Not going to deny it, future boy?"

"Nope. I'm hoping this way you'll continue to be 'civil' with me," Said Kel, taking off into the air and hovering above Brainy. "Come on."

Brainy followed reluctantly.

They arrived at the gorge to find a device locked in the cliff face above lightning lad. It was bowl-shaped, much like an inverted satellite dish and had three prongs jutting out and securing it to the jagged rock face. Another prong pointed skyward and was connected to some kind of transmitter.

"We should go carefully-" Brainy began as Kel flew down and took hold of three of the scavengers. Using his enhanced strength, he dragged them, suits and all, toward a pit a few meters away. After leaving those three in the cavernous pit, he turned to another group of attackers.

Brainy, who'd become accustomed to being ignored, flew towards the machine in the cliff face.

A sudden wind caused him to crash into the rocks himself and he landed on the opposite side to the machine. As he got up he saw the small delivery ship that had caused him to be thrown off from target, fly closer towards them and finally hover above the scavenger group.

The metal door of the main compartment opened and a cloaked figure appeared inside. He made some sort of hand signal and the scavenger group began to retreat further towards the ship. Before lightning lad had a chance to scorch them all in one place, the figure in the ship pulled out a remote from his pocket and clicked it on.

The effect was immediate. Lightning was channeled down through the dish and into lightning lad, who fell to his knees in pain.

The cloaked scavenger dropped ropes to his companions for them to climb before the delivery ship left, leaving only the tattered wreck of the lightning dish.

**Sorry lightning lad! I had to! For the sake of the story! :P Please read and review! It means a lot to me! Also as for my bad spelling and grammar, I am English but my spell checker is American so I'm sorry for any auto-corrected disasters.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you for all the input I received on the last chapter! After a long writing vacation that has prompted me into action yet again this week! I really really want to finish this story now. It is so exciting *fan-girls* Long live the legion! But also long live Moel! He is adorable, let's face it.**

"Finally climbed out of that hole did you?" Moel didn't see their faces, but their teeth flashed white in the dark.

"Hey we don't know whose farm this is. What if they're back already?" The second of his captors asked.

"Don't worry, everyone here knows what he did. He set our barns alight, our fields on fire. I got nothing from my crop that year. I had almost nothing to live off. He's a spoilt brat from Metropolis and if they have any good sense they'll leave him down there."

Guilt gnawed at him and he shut his eyes calmly. I'm sorry, he thought. I'm very sorry. It was their right to throw him into holes and cesspits. It was their right to do whatever they pleased to him. He'd almost killed them. No matter what Gwen said, that had to be punished. Who better to do it that the farmers he'd made starve?

He let them drag him down the mud track. He let them take his shoes. He let them take his shirt. He let them push him backwards into the damn hole. Moel found however that the gnawing sense of guilt stayed. They could take everything he owned and he would still be guilty. Why did he think otherwise? What did he expect?

When they pushed him he fell. A sharp pain in his back made him cry out, earning laughter from the silhouetted men at the mouth of the hole. They seemed so far away. Feeling around blindly, he noted that, though this was supposedly a cesspit, nothing but dry hardened mud lay at the bottom. Mud and… metal?

He tracked his hands back to the hard edge he'd fallen on. It was cold and smooth and definitely man-made. Using his fast numbing hands, he began to dig at the dirt surrounding it. Gwen wouldn't find him this time. He hadn't told her where he was heading.

A chill creeping up his spine, Moel tried to move faster. He would freeze to death if he stayed down there. His hands fumbled lamely in the dark and the newly exposed metal surface taunted him. Selfish as he was, he didn't want to die in a cesspit, cold and half clothed. But it was their right to make him. He ignored the negative thoughts floating through his head and made a more concentrated effort to dig.

He pulled the large crate free from the ground. He'd planned on using it to help him climb the dirt walls but it was in no way tall enough to give him the height he needed to reach the top. Instead he unhooked the lid and pried it open.

What?

The crate was filled with weapons. Guns mainly but other things as well, though he certainly wasn't going to chance firing them in the pit. He'd get buried alive if the walls fell in. There was nothing that would help him. Then he spotted what looked like a flare behind the guns. Maybe Gwen would see it? His eyes now adjusted to the dim light, he looked for the pull tab that would set it off.

Finding the cord that would light it he looked up toward the entrance.

Only to find himself eye to eye with a man dressed in black.

"Believe me, you do not want to do that."

**More Moel-y goodness for you ****J**** Sorry Gwen didn't make it into this chapter but she will later on. Sorry my recent chapters have been quite short, I almost gave up on this story but I've decided just to take it steady for a bit. As always, please read and review! I spend my life checking for reviews and messages so I'll probably reply ****J**


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